Prudential Tropical Realty Honored With Award For Quality

KENNETH HALL Special Sections correspondent

Published: August 1, 2008

Updated: May 25, 2013 at 08:57 PM

Prudential Tropical Realty's mission statement is "delivering a world-class experience one client at a time," says Dewey Mitchell, co-owner and president. When the owner of a company makes such a statement, it could be considered marketing. However, when the company's customers agree, the statement might be considered as a guiding philosophy.
Quality Service Certification Inc. and Leading Research Corp. recently recognized Prudential Tropical Realty and its New Tampa office with its QE Award. The honor is presented to real estate companies and individual offices for delivering service excellence and the highest levels of customer satisfaction. The awards are based on the results of 250,000 consumer surveys of more then 500 participating companies and 30,000 real estate agents.
"We were recognized as one of the top 10 companies in the country, and our New Tampa office was recognized as the No. 4 individual office in the U.S.," Mitchell says. "We've been working very hard to provide that world-class experience in every facet of our business. We try to ensure that the service we provide is not only excellent, but also that it is consistent. That's not very easy to do when you have a sales force that is made up of independent contractors."
Company officials say one way Prudential Tropical Realty ensures a high level of service and customer satisfaction is through the Quality Service Certification program.

"QSC is a program specifically designed for real estate professionals, and we require every one of our agents to go through the program," says Robert Hilliker, vice president of sales and marketing. "Agents have to complete a training regimen to become certified."
Following each transaction by a Prudential Tropical agent, the QSC company sends a survey to the customer.
"We used to send out our own survey letters to our customers, and those letters would come back to us," Hilliker says. "By using an outside, independent company, the surveys are not coming directly back to us, so we can't filter the results. Statistically, customers are more willing to give true answers about their experience when the survey is from a third party."
With 540 agents, Prudential Tropical needed a way to ensure that each of its clients was receiving a world-class experience and the QSC program fit that need, Hilliker says.
"Each customer gets a written guarantee from our agent on the level of service they will provide to the seller and the buyer," Hilliker adds.
Mitchell says, "When a sales executive is working with a consumer, he or she sits down with that buyer or seller and goes through a series of points regarding the services to be provided. The survey is used to ensure that those services are provided to the customer's satisfaction," Mitchell says.
"Our goal is to provide a myriad of services in such a manner that we can measure the results and have the results validated by a third-party company," Mitchell says. "It is our way of ensuring that we are providing the level of service that our customers deserve. If not, it gives us a format for making corrections."
Mitchell and Hilliker are honored the company received the customer satisfaction recognition.
"The fact that this recognition reflects our clients' evaluations speaks volumes to our commitment to great service and to being the best," Mitchell says.
Hilliker adds, "Fully 80 percent of our business comes from past customers and referrals, so it is essential that we provide the world-class experience that we promise."
For information, visit www.prudentialtropical.com or call 1-888-778-8258.